Return conveyer for flatwork ironers



Feb. 15, 1955 J. B. HAY

RETURN CONVEYER FOR FLATWORK IRONERS 2 Shets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 21, 1950 James B. Hay

INVENTOR.

M Attorneys .Feb. 15, 1955 Filed Nov. 21, 1950 J. B. HAY

RETURN CONVEYER FOR FLATWORK IRONERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 James B. Hay a INVENTOR.

Anomqs United States PatentQ KETURN CONVEYER FOR FLAT-WORK IRONERS James BL'H'ay', Cleveland, Tenn.

Application November2-1', 1950,-Serial No. 196,787

2 Claims. (Cl. 214-130) This invention relates to improvements in devices adapted to be used in laundries.

An object of this invention is to provide a device to be used in connection with a flatwork ironer in a laundry which conveys the heavy articles, for example bath towels, pillow slips and others back to the feeder side of the ironer after they have gone through the ironer once but did not become dried.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved structure for performing the above functions which is semi-automatic in operation, once being set in motion by a manual action, an elevator is pivoted to empty the clothes through a chute and then, in response to a specific movement or extent of movement of the means for lifting the elevator, the elevator is returned to the initial starting position.

Ancillary objects and features of importance will be come apparent in following the description of the illustrated form of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a typical arrangement, parts being shown in elevation;

Figure 2 is an end view of the structure in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 33 of Figure 1 and in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Figure 1 and in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 5 is a sectional view of a suggested valve structure for use with the assembly; and,

Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of certain parts forming a portion of the device.

Most laundries today use the individual bundle lot system on flatwork. It is necessary that one of the folders carry this damp work back to the feeder side of the ironer so that it can run through again in instances wherein due to the weight of the articles, they do not become sufliciently dried. On the average it takes about twenty steps to perform this task. This has to be done every few minutes so as to keep the individual bundle intact.

The use of the illustrated structural arrangement speeds up work of the ironer about twenty per cent. Mistakes are less apt to occur by avoiding the necessity of having to move from one location to another in the usual manner of performing this job.

By way of illustration there is a part of a building 10 to which the vertical supports 12 and 14 are attached. These supports hold the upwardly opening chute 16 at an angle to lead the clothes into the pick-up side of the ironer. This chute 16 has an open discharge end and an open inlet end.

There is an elevator 20 formed by an upwardly opening trough having a bottom 22, sides 23 and an outer end wall 24. The trough has an open discharge end which is arranged to register with the inlet end of the chute 16 inasmuch as the hinges 26 and 27 connect the bottom 22 of the trough with the bottom of the chute 16. By virtue of this construction the elevator is arranged to swing in such travel that the pocket defined by the end wall 24, the bottom 22 and the sides 23 of the elevator, is raised vertically to empty the clothes into the chute 16.

There is a means for raising the elevator 20, the elevator being gravity lowered. This means comprises a cylinder 30 connected by standard brackets 32 and 34 to the buildingstructure 10, and the cylinder has a piston with a piston rod 36 slidably disposed therein.

A motive fluid line 38 is connected at one end to the 2 cylinder and at the other end to the outlet 40:offthe-valve The valve- 42 is a. threeway substantially" standard valve, including a.valve: case 44 with. a core: 46 therein.- The case; 44 has: a fluid, as air, inlet line 48'connected to it anfl4has. a discharge port 50 opening inwardly of the: case The-core has two channels 52and -54 therein arranged to. communicate the-exhaustport with the line 38 when the core is in the position as shown in Figure 5. The channel 52 communicates the fluid inlet line 48 with the line 38 when the core 46 is rotated, at this time fluid under pressure is applied in the cylinder 30 behind the piston to push the piston rod 36 outwardly.

When the piston rod 36 moves outwardly of the cylinder, the bar 58 which is fixed to the piston rod moves outwardly. The flexible elements, as ropes or cables 64 and 65 are also moved in response to movement of the piston 36 inasmuch as they are attached to the bar 58. These flexible elements being secured to a strengthening member 66 of the trough 20, cause the trough to be eleilgtgd in response to outward movement of the piston ro Swivelly mounted guide pulleys 70 and 72, which are attached by standard means to the building structure 10, have the flexible elements 64 and 66 entrained therearound. Hence, when the flexible elements 64 and 66 are pulled the elements are guided by the pulleys 70 and 72 during their lifting function.

The valve 42 is mounted by a bracket 76, this bracket being suitably secured to the building structure 10 and so arranged that the valve operating element, for example the handle 78, is in the path of travel of the bar 58. Therefore, when the bar 58 moves outwardly and away from the cylinder 30, it strikes one end of the handle 78 causing the handle to rotate the core 46. This causes the channel 54 to communicate the interior of the tube 38 with the exhaust 50 permitting the air under pressure in the cylinder 32 to become exhausted. -With this air exhausted the weight of the elevator causes the piston rod 36 to be retracted in the cylinder through the action of the flexible elements 64 and 65 which are pulled downwardly due to the weight of the trough.

In order to set the device in operation, the manually operative rope 80 which is attached to one end of the handle 78, is pulled, as guided by the guide pulley 82, thereby causing the valve 42 to become open. With the valve open, fluid under pressure may enter the cylinder 30. Upon this entry the piston rod 36 is moved outwardly of the piston 30 causing the elevator to be lifted and the articles of clothing or other laundry which are disposed therein are delivered into the chute 16 and hence into the feeding side of the ironer. As the bar 58 continues in its travel, it strikes the operating element 78 causing the valve core 46 to move to such position that the air under pressure in the cylinder 30 is exhausted from the cylinder. Then, the weight of the elevator returns the piston rod 36 into the cylinder 30 and the device is again ready for another complete cycle of operation.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A laundry article conveyor and transfer device comprising a chute having an open discharge end and an open inlet end, said chute being inclined for gravity feeding the laundry articles, an upwardly opening trough having an open end hinged to the inlet end of said chute and adapted to receive the articles and means connected to said trough for hingedly actuating said trough, said trough actuating means including a cylinder with a piston mounted therein and having a piston rod, means for transferring movement of said piston to movement of said trough, the last mentioned means including a bar secured to said piston rod and movable therewith, fixed guide pulleys adjacent to said bar, cables fastened to said trough and to said bar, said cables being entrained around said pulleys, a valve arranged to control the actuation of said piston and having an element disposed in the path of travel of said bar to actuate said valve to a position retracting the piston rod, and manually operable valve actuation means connected to said element to move said valve to a second position extending the piston rod.

2. An article conveyor and transfer device comprising an inclined chute having upper and lower ends, a trough hinged to the upper end of said chute, and means connected to said trough for swinging the same into and out of alignment with said chute, "said means including a 5 hydraulic cylinder mounted above said trough, a recipr'oca'tingpis'ton extending from said cylinder, a bar secured to the end of said piston rod and movable therewith, guide pulleys fixedly mounted adjacent the ends of said bar, and cables secured to the sides of said trough 0 intermediate the ends thereof, said cables being entrained over said guide pulleys and secured to the ends of said bar, a valve arranged to control the reciprocation of said piston rod and including an element disposed in the path of travel of said bar to exhaust said cylinder and manually operable valve actuating means connected to said element for regenerating the cylinder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Allen Sept. 6, 1938 

